This is a reference thread on China related reading list, please feel free to contribute.
For starter, the following is an excellent intro to PLA done by some of the most respected names in the PLA watching community and it is free to download.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF182/
The People's Liberation Army as Organization
Reference Volume v1.0
Cover: CF-182 | The People's Liberation Army as Organization: Reference Volume v1.0
Edited by: James C. Mulvenon and Andrew N. D. Yang
This book is the product of a conference, held in October 2000, that brought together many of the nation's top experts to evaluate issues of structure and process in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The editors believe that fundamental knowledge about the PLA can be ascertained from the study of its organizational structure, and that this type of structure and process analysis is the critical first step toward a revolution in our understanding of the central issues, including how the PLA will fight. The papers in this volume present a comprehensive view of the administrative and operational structure of the PLA. In exhaustive detail, they discuss the leadership, history, organization, functions, and possible future direction of each of the PLA's Commissions and Military Departments.
Support RAND Research — Buy This Product!
Paperback Cover Price: $110.00
Discounted Web Price: $99.00
Pages: 656
ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3303-4
Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.
Download PDF Part 1
(File size 9.2 MB, 37 minutes modem, 5 minutes broadband)
Prefatory Material, Chapters 1-7
Download PDF Part 2
(File size 9.3 MB, 37 minutes modem, 5 minutes broadband)
Chapters 8-12
RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service. If you find this information valuable, please consider purchasing a paper copy of the full document to help support RAND research.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.
Contents
Chapter 1:
Introduction to the PLA's Administrative and Operational Structure
Chapter 2:
The Central Military Commission and Military Policy in China
Chapter 3:
The Pinnacle of the Pyramid: The Central Military Commission
Chapter 4:
The General Staff Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army: Organization, Roles, & Missions
Chapter 5:
The General Political Department and the Evolution of the Political Commissar System
Chapter 6:
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Logistics Department (GLD): Toward Joint Logistics Support
Chapter 7:
The General Armament Department
Chapter 8:
PLA Ground Forces: Moving Toward a Smaller, More Rapidly Deployable, Modern Combined Arms Force
Chapter 9:
PLA Air Force Organization
Chapter 10:
The Organization of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)
Chapter 11:
The Chinese Second Artillery Corps: Transition to Credible Deterrence
Chapter 12:
The Institutional Lessons Of Disaster: Reorganizing The People's Armed Police After Tiananmen
For starter, the following is an excellent intro to PLA done by some of the most respected names in the PLA watching community and it is free to download.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF182/
The People's Liberation Army as Organization
Reference Volume v1.0
Cover: CF-182 | The People's Liberation Army as Organization: Reference Volume v1.0
Edited by: James C. Mulvenon and Andrew N. D. Yang
This book is the product of a conference, held in October 2000, that brought together many of the nation's top experts to evaluate issues of structure and process in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The editors believe that fundamental knowledge about the PLA can be ascertained from the study of its organizational structure, and that this type of structure and process analysis is the critical first step toward a revolution in our understanding of the central issues, including how the PLA will fight. The papers in this volume present a comprehensive view of the administrative and operational structure of the PLA. In exhaustive detail, they discuss the leadership, history, organization, functions, and possible future direction of each of the PLA's Commissions and Military Departments.
Support RAND Research — Buy This Product!
Paperback Cover Price: $110.00
Discounted Web Price: $99.00
Pages: 656
ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3303-4
Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.
Download PDF Part 1
(File size 9.2 MB, 37 minutes modem, 5 minutes broadband)
Prefatory Material, Chapters 1-7
Download PDF Part 2
(File size 9.3 MB, 37 minutes modem, 5 minutes broadband)
Chapters 8-12
RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service. If you find this information valuable, please consider purchasing a paper copy of the full document to help support RAND research.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.
Contents
Chapter 1:
Introduction to the PLA's Administrative and Operational Structure
Chapter 2:
The Central Military Commission and Military Policy in China
Chapter 3:
The Pinnacle of the Pyramid: The Central Military Commission
Chapter 4:
The General Staff Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army: Organization, Roles, & Missions
Chapter 5:
The General Political Department and the Evolution of the Political Commissar System
Chapter 6:
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Logistics Department (GLD): Toward Joint Logistics Support
Chapter 7:
The General Armament Department
Chapter 8:
PLA Ground Forces: Moving Toward a Smaller, More Rapidly Deployable, Modern Combined Arms Force
Chapter 9:
PLA Air Force Organization
Chapter 10:
The Organization of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)
Chapter 11:
The Chinese Second Artillery Corps: Transition to Credible Deterrence
Chapter 12:
The Institutional Lessons Of Disaster: Reorganizing The People's Armed Police After Tiananmen
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